Is Graphene the only possible way to use google maps almost anonimously? (feddit.it)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by dontblink@feddit.it to c/android@lemmy.world

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've been proudly using Lineage OS with microg on my phone for a while now, and while it wasn't ideal, it was good for my daily use.

Now that i'm traveling, however, i really miss some important features, like a properly working geolocation service (i'm using the Mozilla one and it's slow and buggy), and a proper navigator, sad to say that google maps works just too well for certain things like buses or trains.

Magic earth was okay till i moved with car, i could get a position on google maps and then get there with my car and the navigator was working good, however when i need to move by foot or transports is terrible, it takes 10 minutes to find your position approximatively, only working with mobile data, and it doesn't follow you when you move..

So i found myself in some unhappy situations where i would need to rely on someone else's phone to not get lost in a city or to call an uber to my right location. I also got lost when i needed to move only by walking. Of course you can get wherever you want with older methods, like asking to people or signs, but sometimes you just need quick solutions that are reliable.

Is there any real way to use gmaps unonimously except that with the containerized version that graphebe offers?

I do not really want to buy a Pixel and give google more money.

all 28 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] NicoTimoNemo@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

There is nothing anonymous about using Gmaps on Graphene nor any OS for that matter. If you install the app on your phone, Google will receive all your queries and what not.

You just have to get comfortable with planning ahead instead of just winging it and looking up directions on the go. I know there are times you will still get lost especially when traveling through a new area but you can mitigate the number of times you need to check the map by planning ahead.

OSMand is the only one with accurate public transit directions. Magic Earth does not provide all transit options.

Lastly, don't worry about having to pay for a Google phone. It's just a drop in the ocean and afterall it's not your money they want. It's your data.

[-] dontblink@feddit.it 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah but with graphene at least you can limit the permissions google maps has and treat the app like every other normal app, isolated and not able to grab informations if you're not using it, i wonder if there's a way to use it with an anonymous google account just like Aurora.

Yeah sure planning ahead helps, but it's difficult when everyone else you are with has a different workflow or if something unexpected happens..

I will try osmand again for public transports, but the problem is sometimes with the mozilla geolocation services (default in lineage) you get your position after 10 minutes (or you just don't get it sometimes) and it isn't precise at all, in my experience it was working well with car but by foot it just can't sort out where you are..

For the google phone it's not just the thing of giving money to google, it's also that i'm tired of phones you cannot unmount, change battery or other basic pieces like the screen, i would get a fairphone, but i'm not really sure the price is worth it.

[-] merde@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

i don't know how anonymous it is, but there's GMaps WV

i use organic maps and keep that 👆 installed for occasional satellite images

[-] dontblink@feddit.it 1 points 1 year ago

It does work for maps, but doesn't get your location so it's not very good for navigation

[-] PrepaidCompare@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Gmaps WV does use your location. It should prompt you to allow location when you tap the bullseye icon. It doesn't do spoken turn by turn navigation, however.

[-] xi00@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Have you tried OSMand? I used it for navigation by foot and car, and in many cases it has equally nice public transport as gmaps. Otherwise I only use the local apps from each provider, so WienMobil and Scotty for Vienna/Austria for example, because google does not know about outages or disruptions in many cases. But that's my experience in Europe, so your mileage may vary.

[-] nurple@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

OSM is a lot dodgier in the US - and it doesn't have live traffic, which is crucial in some cities.

[-] dontblink@feddit.it 1 points 1 year ago

I tried osmand, but was working even worse with finding my position and getting me to places

[-] redcalcium@lemmy.institute 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Sounds like gps problem, not osmand problem. Maybe your phone's AGPS service is borked, forcing the phone to do full gps satellite fix, which can take a while especially if the sky is obstructed by buildings or heavy cloud cover.

Try clearing your AGPS data with this app: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.android.gpstest.osmdroid/

[-] TheFrirish@jlai.lu 2 points 1 year ago

Honestly IMHO organicmaps is better than OSMand because it's less cluttered.

[-] zeluko@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I love OSMAnd combined with BRouter to get better and much faster routing calculation.

Not sure what you mean with "Working worse with finding my position".
Its just GPS, not something magical you have to horribly wait for.
Maybe your GPS isnt working well?

[-] nicman24@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

some times the maps have the gps coords shifted

[-] lemmybenny@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Worth looking into this

https://microg.org/

It's used in e/os which is privacy based to be able to still access Google services on a "degoogled" device

https://e.foundation/e-os/

[-] steal_your_face@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

I thought the sandboxed google play services on graphene was more private than micro g

[-] verysoft@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Dont bother with graphene, project owner is a little crazy.

[-] yoz@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Nice

this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023

43 points (100.0% liked)

Android

27941 readers

85 users here now

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules

1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.

2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.

4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.

5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.

6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.

7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.

8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.

Community Resources:

We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It's fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.

Our Partner Communities:

!android@lemmy.ml

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

MargotRobbie@lemmy.world

Rooki@lemmy.world

Thekingoflorda@lemmy.world

L3s@lemmy.world

_MoveSwiftly@lemmy.world